After seeing TCU beat Wisconsin, I think the small teams have gotten more ammunition of proving to the world that the BCS is a flawed system and that smaller non-traditional programs can hang in with the big boys. I know there have been constant arguments by fans on both sides on why a smaller school like Boise State should be in the BCS and while the old school fans say their record is flawed due to strength of schedule. I understand both arguments as both sides make a valid point. Ohio State has a tougher schedule than Boise State. However, how can fans of Ohio State still denied teams like TCU aren’t good, or their record is inflated when they still beat some good teams. It’s true that TCU schedule isn’t the toughest, but winning on the road in Utah and then winning the Rose Bowl against number 5 Wisconsin says a lot. And since there will be no playoffs in the near future for college football, I think at least they should get rid of conference tie ins into the BCS and allow the best rank teams play.

If there is one thing the BCS has taught us is smaller schools can hang in with the big boys. I’ve heard arguments that the teams they play weren’t prepared or motivated to play because they aren’t in the national championship is a load of bull. When Utah beat Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, they proved they can play with the big boys and that they earned their ranking and their spot in the BCS. Saying Nick Saban didn’t prepare well is insane. A good coach and a good team is always ready when they step on the field, even if it’s a meaningless game. And if they lose it’s because they didn’t play the best and fans saying “it doesn’t matter” or “we weren’t ready” is just making excuses. They were out beaten that day, and Utah showed they were ready and they rose to the occasion. It isn’t just Utah in 2009, but Utah beat Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl in 2005. Boise State upset Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. I think we have seen enough of the small teams proving they can hang with the big boys, and that the BCS needs some reforming in the near future.

Also the conference tie ins have gotten ridiculous. When 8-4 UCONN got a Fiesta Bowl berth because the Big East is guaranteed a BCS Bowl is pathetic. I don’t blame TCU for moving to the Big East as their football team will be favorites to win the Big East in the near future. Originally giving automatic bids to the BCS conferences wasn’t a bad idea. It’s similar to division titles in the NFL, but the biggest difference between the NFL and NCAA is that not every conference in college football gets an automatic BCS bowl. When a better MWC or WAC has more rank teams than the Big East, or even ACC at times, then it shows the automatic bids need to go. UCONN isn’t the first team who didn’t deserve to go. #19 Virginia Tech was another example of an automatic that didn’t deserve to be there. I know Virginia Tech won, but going 9-4 isn’t the best record in football, and there were more deserving teams that were left out. One more example was #22 Florida State who got an Orange Bowl birth with an 8-4 record because they won the ACC. I like Bobby Bowden, but they were more deserving teams that should of gone over his.

The biggest issue in college football nowadays is the old traditional conferences being the best isn’t always the case. In the last decade there has been more diversity in college football in which programs rise and fall on a constant basis. Long gone are the days when Norte Dame and Miami always have the best team each year. Since we are still running under the impression the old divisions should be good is a lie. The Big East and ACC are too inconsistent to deserve an automatic bid every year, and because of their automatic bid, there are good teams each year get snubbed because of the limited amount of spots. If anything that needs to be change in the near future for college football is getting rid of the automatic bids. it should be reformatted by only allowing the top 10 play, or at least have a top 12 ranking in case a school already accepted another bowl bid before the season ended. But seeing un-rank schools, or schools in the upper teens and low twenties is sad.